


Crimson, in Confidence

by traptrixnepenthes



Category: Future Card Buddyfight
Genre: Gen, [kyoya voice] this human emotion called friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 07:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traptrixnepenthes/pseuds/traptrixnepenthes
Summary: there's a throwaway line in episode 22 of season one where suzuha mentions kyoya texting her. from that one line and the implications that they like, know each other and are close enough to have exchanged phone numbers and text each other, this fic was bornbasically what i'm trying to say is here's kyoya and suzuha having a sleepover (set prior to season one)





	Crimson, in Confidence

Kyoya laid back on the bed gratefully--Suzuha’d called a helicopter just to bring it to her balcony and then had it wheeled in by her attendants. It was incredibly over the top, but it and its trappings were top class, and he closed his eyes.  


He hadn’t had a sleepover with Suzuha in...some time. A few months, maybe? He’d been so swamped with work that the heiress had taken matters into her own hands and insisted he take a break, so here he was, in her sky home. Now that he was actually _here_ , Kyoya wondered why it’d taken him so long to agree to it. It wasn’t like he could really admit it except to a secret diary he didn’t own, but all the tension and stress of being the head of an international organization drained out of him when they spent time together. It was almost like being on vacation, but a lot shorter.

Suzuha herself was in the connected bathroom, changing into something a little less extravagant than her usual attire, and Kyoya sat back up, looking around her room. It was actually the first time he’d been in her room, despite the several years they’d known each other, and it was...very her. Her furniture all seemed to have frills and ruffles around the edges, and looking at her bed, he couldn’t tell where her blankets ended and pillows began. It all had a very sunny color scheme, yellows and oranges that felt like a warm summer day.

Yes, being here _did_ feel a vacation.

The door opened, and Suzuha breezed in, now wearing a much more simple gown in the same soft yellow as wildflowers, long hair pulled down into a messy braid over her shoulder. Clearly her attendants hadn’t helped her with it. She seated herself at one of the chairs by her little tea table, and gestured for him to join her. He rose and took a seat across from her and asked, “So, how is school being for you?”

“ _Really_ , Kyoya, what kind of question is that?” Her eyes went down to her phone, likely sending a request to her attendants for snacks or something.

“Well, it’s not as if I can attend anymore. I can’t help but accept that I’m on the outside looking in.” Kyoya had his tutors and such, but as it turns out, being the head of the Gaen Group was a lot more time consuming than it seemed. Not that he could leave it to anyone else while he finished growing up. “Although, I have to ask. You could get the best tutors in the world if you wanted to, so why do you still go to public school?”

“Ha! It’s quite simple, Mr. Gaen.” She had a smug grin, and she was the only person who could get away looking at him like that. “It behooves those of us in positions of power to mingle with the masses, so that we can better understand what they need from us. And since you can’t do that, I guess I just have to do it for you.”

He laughed. “True enough. I guess you’ll simply have to be the brains of our joint operation.” When they first met after Kyoya took on his current title, they’d joked and then talked seriously about their respective companies being a partnership once Suzuha inherited her title as well. Kyoya had offered to have her parents taken out, to speed things up a little, and Suzuha had laughed it off, clearly not realizing he’d been serious about the offer. But he saw now it really would be better for her to wait for that--she was such an honest girl about everything, if a bit tactless, and that’d be better for public relations than he could ever be. “But if you ever get tired of it, my tutors would be glad to have you too, I’m sure.”

“Oh, nonsense. I can’t imagine why I’d leave. I have no interest in your reclusive lifestyle, since I manage to have more than one friend my age.” The doors to her room opened, and her butler entered silently, a tea tray and tiered tray of bite-sized cakes balanced on either hand, and he placed them carefully onto the table between them, leaving without a word. “I’ve been able to start learning more about their _slang_ and whatnot. It’s being an incredibly illuminating experience.” Suzuha poured tea for them both, and it smelled warm and flowery. Something herbal, which would be nice before bed. “Maybe you _should_ try it again, if you can. It’s rather fun, once you get right down to it.”

Kyoya poured a little cream into his tea--real heavy cream, as he should have expected from the Amanosuzu household--and stirred in a little bit of sugar as he watched Suzuha drop in four sugar cubes and twice as much cream. “Isn’t that a bad idea right before bed?”

She huffed at him. “I’ll have you know that sugar is as essential as anything else to a girl my age! How do you expect me to be as sweet as I am without it?”

He shrugged, and Suzuha turned her nose up at him, one of the overly dramatic displays that had come to define their relationship. He would’ve never stood for this kind of behavior from Sofia or Rouga, but Suzuha was...different. An equal, rather than someone he had to be more powerful than. Ideally, he’d still be the one in control, but there was definitely a difference. Maybe he’d try to include her in his plans…

Something flickered, and suddenly there was a doll sitting in Suzuha’s lap. It was about two feet tall, fully articulated, with straight black hair that covered its face where its eyes would have been. It was immobile, very beautiful, and seemed to be smiling at him.

“Oh, Mary Sue!” Her buddy? “Did you want to meet Kyoya looking like this?”

The doll still didn’t move, but it giggled, and then it slid down off her lap. It curtsied, and even though Kyoya couldn’t see its eyes, he could feel it looking at him. He knew Mary Sue was capable of a lot of things, but surely it couldn’t also read his thoughts?

“Good evening, Mary Sue. I think this is the first time we’ve met with you looking like this.” Kyoya extended a hand to it, and could’ve sworn he heard its joints creaking as it placed its tiny hand on his. “Sadly, I didn’t bring any gifts for you, but I promise to bring you one next time.”

Mary Sue tilted its head, and Kyoya was immediately hit with the realization that yes, it could read his mind, and it had appeared because it knew exactly what he’d been thinking about. Mary Sue was many things, and Suzuha had told him it was like a deity in Magic World, but one that only cared for its own whims, and that it was a _very_ fickle being. The friendship the two had forged was ironclad, but the fact of the matter was she had bonded to a minor god that could alter reality as it liked, and Kyoya was suddenly reconsidering his thoughts about possibly including Suzuha in his plans. Clearly a lady had no place in such dangerous ideas.

The doll laughed again, an altogether eerie thing when its mouth didn’t move, and climbed back up onto Suzuha’s lap. “So then,” Suzuha said, now smiling with a knowing glint in her eye, “when were you planning on introducing me to your buddy?”

Kyoya smiled at the two of them. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I do love the game, but I’ve yet to--”

“Oh, _please_. Mary Sue can sense that something powerful has bonded with you. She knows a lot, you know.” With one hand, Suzuha stroked the doll’s hair, and with the other, she fussed with a stray lock of hair from her braid.

“...well, since I’ve been found out…” Kyoya made a fake show of snapping his fingers, looking around, and then smiling apologetically at Suzuha when nothing showed up. As if anything would have. “Sorry about this. He’s rather shy, and doesn’t like showing his faces anywhere he isn’t already familiar with. Perhaps when you come visit again, I’ll be able to show him off.”

‘Shy’ was not a word he’d use to describe Azi Dahaka, but it seemed to be enough to satisfy Suzuha, and a wary glance towards Mary Sue indicated it didn’t care as long as Kyoya didn’t do anything that could potentially endanger Suzuha. It probably even preferred Azi Dahaka not being here. Although he couldn’t help wondering what would happen if the two deities ever met…

Suzuha picked up one of the little pastries off the tea tray, and handed it to Mary Sue. It held the cake in its little hands, and then... _something_ happened, and the cake was gone. Maybe it got eaten? There wasn’t any way to tell for sure, and Kyoya figured it’d be rude to ask. Now apparently satisfied, Mary Sue laughed again, and the world around it glitched as it left to go harass someone else.

“Where does Mary Sue go without you?” Kyoya asked, genuinely interested.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Suzuha sipped her tea and kept absentmindedly fussing with her braid. “Wherever she wants, I suppose.”

Their conversation continued, shallow though it was, and Kyoya watched as Suzuha’s braid started coming undone. The part she was picking at, about a third of the way down, started loosening first, and the rest of the braid was so poorly done that other parts started coming apart. It was like watching a building collapse in slow motion. He watched it, fascinated, until he couldn’t bear it anymore, and interrupted her mid sentence to ask, “Do you want me to fix your braid for you?”

She paused and looked down at the newly formed mess of curls now sitting in her lap. Her expression didn’t change, but he could feel the internal battle of royal pride versus friendship taking place. “I suppose,” she said finally, “since I’ve made quite a mess of it.” Suzuha pulled the orange scrunchie out from where it was loosely looped, and then slingshotted it directly into Kyoya’s cheek. He frowned, and she smiled angelically. “Be a dear and fetch my hairbrush?”

Kyoya put a hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Why, Miss Amanosuzu, it would just be improper for a man such as myself to even consider stepping foot into a lady’s boudoir. Could I have mistaken your intentions inviting me here?”

Suzuha laughed and stood up. “I’ll be back in a moment, then.”

She left, and Kyoya snapped her scrunchie onto his wrist. Unlike the rest of her ensemble, it was a rather angry shade of pink--the same color as the dress Mary Sue had been wearing. It was little things like this that really hit Kyoya with how much the two seemed to care about each other--it reminded him of how Azi Dahaka called Kyoya his “other half”. He was almost a touch jealous that Suzuha could show off her bonds so carelessly like that.

She returned, plastic purple hairbrush in hand. It looked too cheap to be something she got herself, so perhaps a gift from a friend at school? Who in the world would give a brush as a present? Either way, they settled on her bed, and Kyoya was given the massive task of brushing out Suzuha’s hair.

“Oh, I suppose I do have a question for you about your school life.”

“I didn’t know you cared that much! What do you want to know?”

Suzuha’s hair, although thick, was easy enough to brush through. “Do you know someone named Aragami Rouga?”

She thought for a moment. “Yes, I do. He’s the best fighter of his grade, I’ll have you know--on the records as the best with cards, although I’ve heard he does just as well with his fists. Not that I’d know anything about that.” Suzuha tilted her head over her shoulder to look at him. “Why do you ask?”

“He’s a...ah, an acquaintance. He hasn’t been telling me much about his days, so I have to hope he’s doing well.”

“Oh, he’s doing perfectly fine. From what I hear, he’s even got good grades as well! But you know, Kyoya,” Suzuha said with a grin in her voice, “I didn’t realize you had any friends other than me!”

He pulled the brush through her hair just a little bit too roughly, snagging it, and she squeaked. “Oops. I am _so_ sorry about that. I’ll have you know I know the members of Aibo’s Student Council too.”

“Oh, Sofia and Magoroku? Somehow, I just can’t picture you hanging around them.” Kyoya started braiding her hair again. “I can understand how you’d meet Shido...but Sakharov and Aragami? How did that happen?”

“I’ve got connections all over the place. You know how it is.”

Suzuha laughed and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Once you’re done with my hair, why don’t I grab my nail supplies? I’ve gotten a few new colors since last time!”

The scrunchie got tied back around her hair, and Suzuha bounced up to collect the necessary supplies. “I’ve got that silvery topcoat you used last time, and…”

He kind of tuned her out while she prattled on about nail polish. This little ritual of theirs--doing each other’s nails--was a secret from just about everyone on his part. Azi Dahaka surely knew, but why would he care? Azi was a dragon. Now, everyone else... _that_ was the problem. Kyoya dipping into what were considered _feminine pursuits_ was considered so _improper_ by enough people in power that if he wanted to maintain his carefully cultivated reputation, he’d have to scrub off the nail polish right after he returned home. Maybe before.

Yes, people who looked down on others for things like that were unnecessary in the new world he was going to create. But Suzuha had never been one of them, and she was the only person in the whole world that knew about this. Not even Rouga or Sofia knew about it

It was...nice, he supposed, having someone he trusted with something like this. It wasn’t even that major of a thing, but the point remained.

Suzuha sat back down on her bed, dumping a bunch of little bottles of nail polish onto her blankets. “Let’s see...how about this one?” She held up a deep navy. “It’d look good on you!”

“Hm...no.” Kyoya picked up what had to be one of her new bottles, a deep wine red. “I’ll take this one.”

“Kyoya, you _always_ pick red. Next time I’m not letting you near _any_ of my reds.”

“Red’s a good color,” he said defensively, “and I’ll even let you put that sparkly pink topcoat on it this time.”

Suzuha squealed with delight, and Kyoya couldn’t help smiling just a little. Seeing Suzuha happy was...nice. She picked out a gentle lavender shade for herself, and they got to work.

As Suzuha started painting his nails, Kyoya asked, “Is there anything else about school worth mentioning?”

“My, you’re being inquisitive today,” she said, not bothering to look up from her delicate work. “Is it going to rain tomorrow?”

“Is it such a crime to want to know how a friend is doing?”

“Well, if you _must_ know…” Suzuha glanced up at him, a mischievous grin on her face. “There’s this girl two grades younger than me with the most lovely pink hair that’s caught my eye recently…”

“Suzuha.”

“...and now that I’ve told you, you have to tell me!”

“ _Suzuha_.”

“Yes, Kyoya dear? Are you trying to tell me that you’re even too busy to cast a few glances around? Because I’ve heard a few rumors…”

“I’m not going to gossip.”

“Kyoya, it’s a sleepover. What _else_ are you going to do?”

He sighed, defeated. “I suppose I can admit to a certain someone drawing my attention more than usual…”

Suzuha pounced on the words. “And it’s Ryuuenji Tasuku! _Ha!_ ”

She picked up his other hand and started painting again, looking like a smug housecat. “Really, if you already knew, then why bother making me say anything about it?”

“Why, I had to know if you really were going to be my rival or not. A girl’s allowed that much, isn’t she?” She laughed, and glanced up at him again. “Goodness, I didn’t know you had enough free time to watch TV. Unless you’ve actually _met_ him…”

“Of course not. He seems the easily embarrassed type, and getting a request from the head of an international financial group to meet with him seems the kind of thing that’d get him all flustered.”

“Oh, I thought the same thing! Although we both know that if I were to reach out first he’d immediately fall in love with me. Sorry, Kyoya.”

“Lady Amanosuzu, despite your incredible personal magnetism, to the point where I myself am deeply in love with you--” Suzuha laughed. “--I think my chances are _much_ better.”

“Tasuku isn’t the kind of guy who could get won over by money, you know! He’s a good and upstanding young man who won’t fall for something like that.” Not if Kyoya had anything to say about it.

He couldn’t exactly tell Suzuha that most of his interest in Tasuku stemmed from the fact that the boy seemed a perfect piece for his plans. There was just something about the way he presented himself in matches, that cool composure, his absolute drive, the willingness to do anything he thought was right...Kyoya was willing to do a lot to get his hands on conviction like that. “He seems to be very passionate about making the world a better place, which is something I can admire. I think we would share a goal, if we ever got the chance to talk about it.”

“You can stop pretending to be a magnanimous intellectual anytime now.”

“...he also has a cute face.”

“Doesn’t he just!” Suzuha did the last finishing touches to this coat, and then she recapped the bottle and he began work on hers.

Suzuha knew how to do it much more delicately, without getting polish all over his fingers, but he’d never known how to be so light with it. Instead, he kept getting that soft lavender over the edges of her nails and onto her skin, and he frowned down at his handiwork. It’d just chip off so it wasn’t like it mattered in the long run, but it was still annoying.

“You don’t have to make such a serious face about it. You’re getting much better!”

Kyoya sniffed. “That’s not much of a compliment, you realize.”

“Take it or leave it, Kyoya.”

He shrugged, and continued. His messy work really didn’t fit her slim fingers. “So why, exactly, does it matter so much that I might _possibly_ have something so juvenile as a _crush?_ ”

“Oh, you know. It’s always good to know any possible little weak points, after all.” She smiled, and it was clear she was a lot less serious about it than Kyoya would’ve been if he’d been saying the same words. “It’s really too bad he doesn’t go to my school. He’s at some sort of exclusive little private school elsewhere in the city, otherwise I’d be having the chance to set the two of you up for a tête-à-tête...just to prove I’m the better option, of course.”

“Now, why on earth would I agree to a competition when you have the better stakes?”

“Hmm?”

“After all, even if you were to _lose_ somehow--” Suzuha snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion. “--you still have your eye on that pretty pink haired girl, don’t you?”

“Well, of course! Papa always said it’s most prudent to have as many options available as possible.” More the pity to her mother, with an attitude like that. “It wouldn’t look as good for the company if my partner wasn’t as big a celebrity as Tasuku, but my mother always advised me not to worry about that…”

“Rebelling against the family, hm?”

It felt so lowly of him to be gossiping about romance of all things, and god forbid the company executives ever find out about these conversations, but...it was nice, somehow, to be able to act as Kyoya, the fifteen year old, and not Kyoya, the young CEO. No acts to keep his reputation together, no need to butt heads to seem like he’s actually worthy of his position and not just some brat, no attempts to seem more powerful than he really is, as he had to keep up when talking with Rouga and Sofia. With Rouga it was simply habit, but having his most useful pawn Sofia doubt him would be...very detrimental to his plans. But he there weren’t any acts he had to put on to talk with Suzuha. They had the same social standing and the same goals, even if their methods would be markedly different.

And...it meant he didn’t have to act the adult anymore. It was tiring, having to act like one of them when _they_ were the reason he had these goals in the first place, but for one night he could throw all that away and just…

...gossip about romance, like someone his age should be.

“She’s quite lovely, you know! Outspoken and sincere. She insists on commentating on all the matches that happen at our school, so why not come down and have an exhibition match with me to see her in action?” Suzuha withdrew her hands, first coat of nail polish completed, and smiled at him slyly. “A good chance to show off this mystery buddy of yours, don’t you think?”

“If he’s unwilling to show his face even around such a--” Kyoya hesitated, for just a moment. Hopefully imperceptibly. “--good friend of mine, just imagine how he’d handle a crowd. I promise you’ll see me fight by his side at some point in the near future, thought. We’re...working on it.”

He’d called Suzuha a friend so casually earlier tonight, but this time it felt like there was more of a weight to it. A weight he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to bear.

“Oh well. Maybe next time!”

And so their back and forth continued, comfortable and pleasant as it always was. Talking with Suzuha was so easy, even if it was about topics Kyoya hardly cared about. With anyone else, he would have felt deplorably vulnerable, but...perhaps that was what a real friendship was about. He couldn’t dare risk it with anyone else, but even just this one was all he needed, even if he couldn’t really be upfront with how unprofessional it was.

A secret, just like their gossip and his red-painted nails.


End file.
